Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado has been strongly linked with Williams and ran for them during the end-of-season young driver tests in Abu Dhabi.

Trulli, 36, hinted last week that he expected to renew his contract with Lotus, telling BBC Radio Norfolk he had already
begun working on the 2011 car.

The Italian is now preparing for his 15th season in F1 during which time he has raced for six different teams, securing his only grand prix victory in Monaco with Renault in 2004.

Former McLaren and Renault driver Kovalainen, 29, has also re-signed for Lotus. The Finn scored the team's best result of 2010 when he finished 12th in Japan.

Kovalainen's winter preparations were dramatically interrupted after he knocked himself unconscious in a crash during Sunday's Race of Champions event.

The Finn wrote on the social network site Twitter: "I've been put to
bed-rest at home
as a precaution, heavy concussion, further tests in the next few days as head took a big hit."

Classic moment of 2010: Kovalainen puts out fires in Singapore

The entry list also confirmed Lotus Racing's reversion to the historic Team Lotus name.

Founder Colin Chapman, who oversaw a series of championship wins between 1963 and 1978, ran his team under the Team Lotus banner and Lotus Racing owner Tony Fernandes is keen to emphasise the links between the two generations of racing teams.

A Lotus Racing spokesperson stated the team's position on that subject had not changed despite an
ongoing dispute
over the use of the Lotus name.

Malaysian car company Proton, which owns Lotus Cars, is expected to sponsor the Renault team in 2011, a deal that is expected to see the team renamed Lotus Renault.

Lotus technical officer
Mike Gascoyne
commented on his Twitter page that the team and driver announcements were "great news for the team".

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